On Thursday, the court named retired chief justices Artemio Panganiban, Reynato Puno and Hilario G. Davide Jr., and retired associate justice Adolfo Azcuna as amici curiae, or friends of the court, to advise it on whether the 16-vote requirement should be changed in light of the nonparticipation of four senator-judges.

In a statement released on Sept. 8, Duyog Bangsamoro, an independent multisectoral alliance of regional and national civil society organizations, noted a “persistent perception” on the ground regarding the national government’s meddling to influence the outcomes of BARMM polls and the “region’s political landscape” post-election.

The ninth week of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial ended with an important question still hanging over the prosecution’s case: Where did the P15.54 million in the Department of Education’s confidential funds go, and who is responsible for claiming that the money paid for activities that the Philippine Army said it funded itself?

A nationwide survey by Momentum Research reveals that while 73.1 percent of Filipinos regularly get news from social media, 54.5 percent distrust the platform, preferring traditional television for credible information.